Rangoon Review – A Solid Debut!

Bharath Vijayakumar

Before the title comes up, the makers want us to know about the significance of the place Rangoon. At this point we aren't entirely sure if this is crucial to the plot or just a showy way of letting us know that they have done some research. Few minutes into the film and you sense a good vibe that this is a film from a confident team that exactly knows what it is upto.

Plot:

A coming of age story of an entirely different kind.

Any underworld film that tracks the rise of its protagonist would revolve around loyalty, betrayal, friendship and love. These have always been the driving forces behind the actions of our heroes. Rangoon too falls under this zone but it is definitely not a mere addition to an existing list. It does not traverse through unchartered territories but wherever it takes us, it does so with a purpose and whatever it does, it does well. 

Gautham Karthik has not really done something significant so far that would make us sit up. He is surprisingly good in Rangoon. This is not a film that works despite him and this surely is a definite foot forward for this actor. The casting is good and it really helps that the screen is occupied by quite a few fresh as well as not so often seen faces. For a film that needs us to play a guessing game for quite sometime in the second half this factor does come into play. Almost throughout the film there are not many characters that you could classify as black or white. The character arc of the hero himself is nicely done. He gets sucked into doing a few things without even time for any introspection. He isn't a bad person perse but he is not someone who is pristine either. He just reacts to situations in the film.

The romantic angle of the film too is treated with a bit of maturity. The hero is smitten by the heroine at first sight and you expect one of those filmy romantic tracks to ensue. But surprisingly that is not the case. He has an eye for her but he goes back to his routine that would ensure him his daily bread. It is another chance encounter later on that creates a bond between them.

The film never resorts to gimmicks at any point. The smuggling scenes have the needed tension but they never play out like an high octane actioner which the film is not. The scenes are gripping while remaining low key. The action choreography is extremely impressive. The film is packed with incidents and there are twists but they do play out organically. A particular episode involving a kidnapped kid is superbly done.

Bottomline:

Rangoon is a well made thriller with an interesting backdrop. It stands apart for the simple reason that it occupies the middle ground between mainstream escapist cinema and gloomy arthouse films. The hero is not invincible, like in the former and unlike many of the latter, all the negativity around the hero only has him turn towards the brighter and definitely the right side of life. 

Rating: 3.5/5

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